Category: Archive

Melbourne’s new `rain gardens’ filter storm water runoff

admin /4 April, 2006

Monash University researchers have developed “rain gardens” that filter
Melbourne’s storm water, preventing chemically-tainted urban run-off
from polluting Port Phillip Bay and local streams.

Soil and plants act as biofilters
With research partners, the
scientists have developed rain garden biofilters through which run-off
is channelled and filtered through soil and plants. The run-off is then
collected for reuse in irrigation, or piped back into the storm water
drain network.

Health risk to Bay reduced
The rain gardens mean cleaner water
will trickle into Melbourne’s bay – free of pollutants such as nitrogen
and heavy metals. The Director of Monash’s Institute of Sustainable
Water Resources, Dr Tim Fletcher, said dirty storm water was the most
significant threat to the health of Port Phillip Bay.

Smoggy Hong Kong gets thumbs down by expats

admin /4 April, 2006

Hong Kong’s ranking as a desirable place to live for expatriate
employees has fallen sharply as a result of worsening air pollution,
according to the latest survey of the world’s cities from ECA
International, reported The Australian (4 March 2006).

For Asian expatriates, Hong Kong
fell to 32nd place in the 2005-06 rankings from 20th in 2004-05,
entirely because of air pollution and rising health risks, including
the dangers of bird flu.

Singapore retained the top spot as the best place, followed by the three Australian cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.

 

Nobel chemistry laureate says world faces “intolerable risk” from rising atmospheric CO2

admin /4 April, 2006

The 1995 Nobel Prize Chemistry Laureate, Mario Molina, has expressed
concern about the risks arising from the dramatic rise in atmospheric
levels of carbon dioxide over the past century due to the use of fossil
fuels.

Speaking on the topic of
environmental risk management, Molina underscored the dramatic impacts
of climate change on the water cycle, noting feedback mechanisms that
will stimulate temperature increase, including:
– a decreased reflection of solar energy due to the melting of glaciers; and
– increased cloud cover that will exacerbate the greenhouse effect.

He predicted that the
water cycle will intensify, causing extreme weather events such as
hurricanes and increasing the frequency and severity of droughts and
floods.

Highlighting the
significant probability that, if no action is taken, the average global
temperature will rise by eight degrees Celsius by 2100, he said this
was an “intolerable risk.”

Taiwan confirms Uranium deals

admin /3 April, 2006

Taiwanese companies yesterday confirmed two separate deals to purchase Australian Uranium, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.  Taiwan is not a signatory to … more

Gov backs down so Greens take up “the good fight” in illegal land clearing case

admin /3 April, 2006

Vast tracts of cleared land in north-western NSW are being prepared for
farming, after the State Government failed in its attempt to have the
area returned to its original bushland state, according to The Sydney Morning Herald (3/4/2006, p.6).

Worst case of illegal land clearing: Green groups and the
government have accused a Nyngan farmer of tearing down up to 2000
hectares of native bush on his property since 2002, in what they say is
one of the states worst cases of unauthorised land clearing.

Major concerns over Bungendore wind farm development

admin /3 April, 2006

Bungendore wind farm, a project proposed by Renewable Power Ventures
Pty Ltd, a Sydney-based company formerly known as Babcock & Brown
Renewable Power Pty Ltd, involves significant problems, reported The Canberra Times (30/3/06, p.2).